Dallas County jury awards $32 million to Southlake business

A Dallas County jury awarded more than $32 million Friday to a Southlake business whose leased plane was detained in Congo last year after being taken there by an official with a Houston oil company in what Congolese officials suggested was a gold smuggling plot.

After deliberating over parts of three days, jurors determined that Camac International, its subsidiary Camac Aviation, and Mickey Lawal, the head of the company’s African operations, should pay Southlake Aviation $32.45 million for taking the company’s long-range Gulfstream V aircraft to the war-torn African country.

Southlake Aviation is owned by businessman David Disiere. Camac International’s president and CEO is Kase Lawal, Mickey Lawal’s brother and a former member of one of President Barack Obama’s trade advisory committees.

“This has been going on for me and for my wife for over a year now,” an obviously relieved Disiere said after the verdict was announced. “I’m glad this is finally over.”

Camac officials issued a statement saying, the case is a simple contract dispute over an aircraft lease. “While we appreciate and respect the jury’s work, we disagree with the outcome. We are reviewing all of our available legal options.”

In February 2011, Congolese officials seized the plane, crew and passengers, including Mickey Lawal, and held them for six weeks. Kase Lawal was not aboard the aircraft, which contained about $20 million worth of gold and $6 million in cash. Disiere, who had not met and did not know the Lawal brothers, denied any knowledge of the trip.

A United Nations report declared that Kase Lawal, who was born in Nigeria, transferred millions of dollars to rebel leader and warlord Gen. Bosco Ntaganda in the months just before the plane was seized as part of the gold deal. Lawal and his company denied those allegations.

“It is important to remember that the Congolese government filed no charges and that neither Camac nor Dr. Lawal has made any admission of wrongdoing,” Camac officials said in an earlier statement.

Ntaganda has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2006. According to authorities, he finances his activities through smuggling Congo’s rich natural resources including diamonds and gold. He has been accused of recruiting child soldiers and presiding over the mass rapes and murders of civilians by his underlings.

Mickey Lawal, the other passengers, crew and the plane were finally released unharmed, without the gold and cash. But because of the seizure, Disiere’s creditors declared his loan in default and repossessed the aircraft. They later sold it for $25 million, then billed him for the difference, plus fees, a total of more than $17 million.

Disiere sued Camac to recover about $48 million, for the remaining lease payments and value of the aircraft at the time it was seized in Congo.

“Our approach to this was to gather the facts, address the issues of the loan … and then try to bring these people to justice,” DeWolf said. “I think the jurors followed the judge’s instructions, and we’re very happy with their verdict.”

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